The Bee Cave Bee

I'd say this seems unlikely. I can't see that this makes great business sense for Planet K, unless they are all too stoned to realize that The Backyard moved out from next door last year. Bee Cave is hardly the market demographic for them, unless by 'grown up gifts" they mean canes, walkers and the like. Frankly, I'd prefer the "Keep Austin Weird" crowd keep AUSTIN weird, but sales tax revenues are sales tax revenues. Bring 'em on. Personally, I think that location is snakebit.

Why did the bee cave city council give Planet K a permit?

Are we going to be treated to one of the murals that their web site shows adorning their other stores?

The City issued a stop work order on construction Planet K began without city approval. In the meantime, the City is reviewing the applicability of this business within the Town Center zoning district. My opinion after thorough review of the Ordinances is that this Use does not fit under any of our current zoning categories and therefore needs to go through a zoning categorization process in front of Planning & Zoning as well as City Council, with public input.
Similar categories which limit the age to enter and purchase at the store (such as tatto parlors, stores selling Alcoholic beverages and/or sexually oriented merchandise, etc) are either not allowed or require a conditional use permit within certain zoning districts of the city.

Looks like a potential new sponsor for the Bee Cave Bee.. I can't wait to see what kind of coupon Planet K provides! LOL

10% off marital aids perhaps.

Do we want a business that will encourage drug users to hang out in Bee Cave? And one that will encourage our kids to use illegal drugs? That's their target market, Folks.

Please tell your town leaders to do whatever it takes to keep us low-crime and high class.

I'm sure the majority of Beecave is on some kind of drug, just because it's legal doesn't make it any better. Your kids are probably selling/buying adderall, xanax, etc anyway...

SO....SOME OF YOU RESIDENTS OF THE "HIGH CLASS" SOCIETY OF BEE CAVES DOESN'T WANT A HEADSHOP IN YOUR GLORIOUS LITTLE FAKE TOWN. THINK OF IT THIS WAY FATCATS.....THIS WILL BRING IN MONEY TO YOUR COMMUNITY SO YOU CAN BY MORE BOOZE AND PILLS THEN DRIVE YOUR BOATS AND KILL PEOPLE ON THE LAKE. WAKE UP AND REAlIZE THAT PLANET K IS VERY POLITICALY AND COMMUNITY INVOLVED. QUIT PUTTING UP CONCRETE LOTS FILLED WITH CORPORATE DRAB AND TAKING AWAY HISTORICAL VENUES LIKE THE BACKYARD WHICH USED TO HAVE NOTHING BUT BEAUTIFUL LAND BEHIND IT AND LET PLANET K BRING THE WEIRD TO YALL! MAYBE THEY CAN PULL TUE STICKS OUT OF YALLS ASS TO!

I still say Planet K in Bee Cave makes no financial sense. Furthermore, with the restrictions placed on businesses set out in Title II, Chapter 28 of the Bee Cave City Code of Ordinances, the Planet K stoners will no doubt need to go before the city with a request for a variance if they intend to remake the Trading Post in their own "unique" image. I can't see a Planning and Zoning Commission, which required Mandola's to change the color of their neon sign, allowing the type of freakish changes Planet K would most certainly request. They did however allow the Maudie's "Jurassic Mexican" sign, so I could be wrong. I would hope enough concerned citizens would show up for any public hearing on this to prevent it from happening. Planet K is famous for their "artwork", so they would no doubt claim a "fine art" exemption from the sign ordinance, but any such exemption would have to be approved by the City Council and must meet "community standards". I doubt Planet K artwork would pass either of those tests. Besides, isn't this just a rumor at this point?

I recently learned that Planet K (aka a Head Shop) is working on locating in the cener of our community at the very visible corner of 2244 & 71 in the Town Center zoning district. In fact, they have signed a lease and even moved forward with construction without obtaining a construction permit from the City of Bee Cave (they were issued a Stop Work Order). Planet K profits from selling sexually oriented gift items as well as drug paraphernalia and accessories; they are otherwise known as a Head Shop. Their merchandise specifically includes but is not limited to selling cookbooks for eating marijuana, bongs and pipes, hallucinagenic herbs such as salvia, etc. Due to the nature of the business, customers must be 18 years old to enter and buy at this store.

I promise you I am no ignorant bible-beating prude, especially after having lived in Amsterdam for 3 years amongst many other places, but this business has no place in the visible center of The City of Bee Cave. This is a suburban family-oriented community and it must remain that way to protect our children, our safety, our quality of life, and our property values. The syngergistic effect of the elements this type of business attracts is worrisome or even potentially dangerous.

My parents always taught me...there's a time and place for everything. Whether you agree or disagree with the store and its culture, use or used the merchandise associated with this store, I urge you to appreciate this is not the place for it. One only need to drive into Austin at their other 4 or 5 locations to get what they need...NOT HERE, NOT NOW, and hopefully NOT EVER in Bee CAVE.

I have confirmed as well, that Planet K has signed a lease and began work on the building last Tuesday before being issued a stop work order by the city. A quick review of the Planet K website leads me to the conclusion that they intend to flaunt local law as they have done in other communities. One of the Planet K signature "features" at each location is a junked vehicle converted into a cactus planter and painted with garish graffiti. They have been at odds with several communities over these junked vehicle, and claim them to be "art". They have a long tradition of fighting local ordinances designed to prevent these sorts of displays. As far as I know, there is no fine art exemption for the Bee Cave City junk vehicle ordinance (Title II, Chapter 26). I don't however expect our City Ordinances to stop them however, if their actions in other communities are any indication. I have sent a letter to City Manager Frank Salvato and the City Council, expressing my opposition to the Planet K plans. I would suggest that every concerned citizen do the same. At this point, according to the City, no permits have been filed by Planet K for work on the building. In order to paint murals and such as they do at other locations, they will require a variances from the City sign ordinance. These variance requests will require public hearings. That will give citizens an opportunity to speak out against the opening of this business. (Edited).

That building isn't part of the Galleria, or the Shops at the Galleria. I'm sure those owners have no desire to see Planet K move in!!

Contrary to the comment above the Hill Country Galleria DOES NOT own the building Planet K is pursuing. As the representative of the group that owns the Galleria I can assure the poster that we do not own the building and are just as opposed to a building with murals and junk cars as he is. We have already called City officials to express our concern.

Please correct the factual misstatement in the prior post.

Please see my other comment. I never meant to sully the good name of the folks who own the Hill Country Galleria. Please note, that I never said Hill Country Galleria, but in my haste I was imprecise in my statement and wrote simply "Galleria", when I meant Shops at the Galleria. Unfortunately there is no way to edit my previous comment. I hope this clarification will suffice.

Adrian -
The editor of the Bee cave Bee was kind enough to edit my previous comment to redact the offending statement. I thought it better to have the entire portion removed so as to not do harm to the Hill Country Galleria, which I am convinced is a true asset to Bee Cave. My original comment was due to a misreading of the old plat which Travis County has on their website. As the editor has noted below, Sansom Greer LP is the owner of the building is question. Neither the Hill Country Galleria, nor CCI which owns the Shops at the Galleria are involved in bringing Planet K to Bee Cave.

It would kind of be nice to not have to drive an hour to get the latest selection of porn. But there is no way I want some store selling incense and underground books on a road my kids drive by occasionally.

Well seeing as 95% of Lake Travis high school, and to my understanding a lot of their parents are smoking marijuana on a regular basis, i think it's a financially great idea of Planet K. As well Planet K benefiting from this, their customers too will benefit, saving gas and perhaps getting a "regular customer" discount. Hell, through in cocaine and Xanex and the business will boom! And prevent kids stealing from their parents medicine cabinets... win for all really!

Live and let live. Who is to say one business is better than another. If you don't like what they sell, you don't have to patronize the business.

Planet K is not going to make your kids do drugs. Your ignorance, arrogance, and hypocrisy (as you reach for a mind altering drink) will. If you do not want your kids to do drugs then talk to them honestly and openly about drugs including nicotine and alcohol.
How often do you socialize with your children and do things with them as a family? Do you invite their friends to your house to do things with your family. Those are the things that will help you know and understand your kids. Making a lot of noise about banning businesses will not.

As for the comment on murals and art work, they will have to abide by city regulations.

The Building's owner according to County Records remains Bob of Jim Bob's -Bob Sansom

Go here for clarification: http://www.traviscad.org/travisdetail.php? theKey=422797

The aging hippies of Bee Cave know where to get their dope smoking paraphernalia & sex toys, so I agree with Keeping Austin weird, not Bee Cave.

UPDATE: Bob Sansom of Jim Bob's (Sansom Greer LLP)sold The Trading Post Property on 2/25/11 and is no longer responsible for it's use. It takes 5 -6 weeks for the new ownership to show up on the tax records.

In 1978, 50% of high school students admitted to marijuana use.
Recently that number clocks in at 48%.

So, the war on drugs is definitely making progress. Suburban parents can expect high school student to be drug-free.
In roughly 1600 years.

Fox 7 reports over a whole 100 emails, a "deluge" according to the councilman they were interviewing of complaint. What is the population of Bee Cave? Do a mere 100 make up the MAJORITY of the city? I think not. Once again, the Minority of the city will decide what the Majority sees, does and has access to......

I've never been to Planet K and have no plans to visit - whether they moved down the street from me or not. That said, Planet K would have to abide by whatever ordinances are in place and abide by laws, but to change ordinances in attempt to find ways to keep it out is wrong. Maybe next week, Bee Caves can change the ordinance to ban businesses owned by minorities. Women. Maybe places that sell cigarettes. Alcohol?

As someone posted earlier - no shop is going to make your kids start taking drugs. No one makes anyone do anything, especially if parents established a strong foundation for their children. Those who've done a good job with their children aren't afraid. For the rest of you, your children will find drugs wherever they can - down the street or in the next town ... but that's your problem, really, well, ours, too because we have to deal with the drug market that some of your kids are already helping to thrive. You know it's the truth.

For the one who pointed out that The Backyard is no longer there, you seem awfully proud of that (and close minded). That, unfortunately, is the kind of mentality that makes Bee Caves a drone city. No real personality - positive or otherwise. You are the person that will kill Bee Caves, not Planet K. You are the real threat. You are happy with malls and chains. *gag* boring ... and what's worse is that your drone appetite was fed at the expense of the beauty of this lucious Hill Country area with your copy cat houses and drone "amenities". I prayed to keep you from building in the area in the first place. No matter the cost of your home, it's blight compared to what use to be there. BLIGHT!
Keep Bee Caves White and Puritanical. That's what you're really asking for, right?

Don't be so hypocritically puritanical. Maybe, after reading this, you can go back to secretly surfing porn. You know you were. And with a Planet K or not, nobody's buying the holier than thou front you're putting on.

The ones who protest the most are among the ones trying to thwart attention from their own shortcomings. So goes the expression "Thou dost protest too much."

Austinite whose has always been drug-free. Shocker, eh?

i could not have said it better myself...

Why do libs resort to insulting Caucasians and/or Christians no matter what the discussion is about? Please refrain from making such hateful statements.

I don't live in a "copycat house" and I didn't want the mall either. That doesn't mean I want porn shops, whorehouses, or head shops in our beloved little village.

Most citizens of Bee Cave are hardworking taxpayers who work hard to be able to live and raise their children here. We want to keep our village safe, clean, and beautiful.

If the property was zoned for commercial use that did not require a special use permits, then a developer is perfectly within their rights to build or open something there that applies to that zoning. As unsavory as Planet K may be, they more than likely reviewed Bee Cave ordinances well ahead of time and concluded there was NOTHING that would prevent them from opening shop there. Developers would rather not waste their time and money running into brick walls.

Now, can the city do something about it? Possibly. They can ratify the existing ordinance by introducing a special use permit that requires the developer to obtain approval for whatever Bee Cave deems the premise of a particular special use permit. For example. In Lakeway, the reason you have 59 banks, is because for years there was nothing in the ordinance for years that prevented that nature of development. So they passed an ordinance for a special use permit for businesses that wanted a drive through. Which happens to encompass banks. So now, whenever a developer wants to build a bank, they need a special use permit. It goes before zoning and planning for approval, then to city council for approval. They can't just come out and say we don't want anymore banks - they require a permit instead.

So if Bee Cave wants to head this off (no pun intended) they better be well along the path of writing an ordinance that gets passed quickly for a special use permit. Otherwise, Planet K can open shop there, they will likely sue the city, and will very likely win. The only other hope against it is severe public backlash.

Obviously you folks do not really know where you live. Planet K fits in just right here. In this economy Bee Cave should be welcoming all businesses. The galleria is having a hard time - shops go in an out...

I think it is rather hypocritical that you would try to shut out a head shop but are perfectly fine with booze super stores like Twin Liquors and Spec's. Alcohol, tobacco, and LEGAL pharmaceutics drugs kills thousands every year (including kids). There hasn't been one single death related to marijuana. I say legalize it and end this ridiculous drug war.

And as for the mural outside the store...its GORGEOUS! You guys are a bunch of philistines if you don't like art!

Finally a rational outlook

You are so right! Marijuana is better than alcohol, tobacco and legal pharmaceutics,it doesn't cause violence or death like alcohol, tobacco and legal pharmaceuticals.
Grow up people!

Get over it all of you almighty self righteous people! You always think you are better than others. Everyone deserves a chance! Regardless of what you think! I am sure most of you are progressive demos or republican do gooders! Shame of you! Get out of everyone's business.. mind your own!